Apex Legends Season 20 Legend Upgrades explained & all new abilities

Apex Legends Season 20 Legend Upgrades explained & all new abilities
Courtesy of Respawn Entertainment

Written by 

Alex Garton

Published 

5th Feb 2024 16:00

Legend Upgrades are without a doubt the biggest addition coming to Apex Legends in Season 20 as they expand the kit of every single character on the roster. The system effectively allows you to augment your standard abilities to make them stronger as a match progresses.

However, as all the Legends have different upgrades, it’s important to familiarise yourself with all of them so you can make the best decision for your situation and of course, understand what you’re going up against.

We’ve broken down all the Legend Upgrades for every character so you can stay one step ahead of your opponents when the Breakout patch goes live.

How do Legend Upgrades work in Apex Legends?

Legend Upgrades Apex Legends
Click to enlarge

Legend Upgrades are a choice offered to players in Apex Legends when they upgrade their white shield to blue, and once again when level up their blue shield to purple. This can be achieved by collecting XP through match by dealing damage or completing team objectives. Remember, armour is no longer a lootable item in Season 20 now has to be earned - so there’s no RNG involved anymore.

At your first upgrade from white to blue armour, you’ll receive a pop-up asking you to choose between two upgrades - you can instantly select the one you would like and do not have to go into the menus.

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Your second Legend Upgrade will come when your armour progresses from blue to purple. You’ll once again have to choose between two upgrades. Choosing the best option for your specific situation could be the difference between winning the match, or going out empty-handed.

Finally, progressing from purple to red armour does not come with an upgrade. Instead, you’ll just receive the standard extra maximum shields for your skirmishes.

Full Legend Upgrade list for every character in Apex Legends

Here’s every Legend Upgrade for all 25 characters on the roster that are available to choose from when you level up:

Legend

Choose one Upgrade (White to Blue) 

Choose one Upgrade (Blue to Purple)

Bangalore
  • Big Bang - See ordinance through walls & death boxes
  • Ultimate Artillery - 25% Ultimate cooldown
  • Cover Me - Auto-Ping enemies who trigger Passive
  • Refuge - Regen HP inside smoke
Fuse
  • Walk it off - Ignore slow and 50% damage from Ultimate
  • Big Bang - See ordinance through walls & death boxes
  • Wreckless - Take -25% explosive damage
  • Explosive - Speed Boost on Knuckle Cluster hit
Ash
  • Murder Machine - After a squad wipe, call out nearby squads
  • Persistence - Marked for Death reveals for 60 seconds
  • Lasting Snare - Arc Snare multiple enemies and greatly increase the lifetime of Tactical
  • Twin Snares - An extra Tactical charge
Mad Maggie
  • Crowd Control - Extra Tactical charge and -25% active duration
  • Big Guns - 1.5x depth and width of Tactical
  • Killer Handling - Auto reload shotguns on knocks
  • Fireball - Set your Wrecking Ball on fire (A little inspiration from Fusey)
Ballistic
  • Care Package Insight - Can reveal Care Packages
  • Ammuvision - See ammo in Deathboxes
  • Extra Bullet - Extra Tactical charge
  • Lasting Bullet - Smart Bullet duration tripled
Pathfinder
  • Forward Scout - Gain access to Survey Beacons
  • Insider Knowledge - Gain access to Ring Consoles
  • Death Grapple - Reset Tactical with knockdowns
  • Zipline Zen - Takes less damage on energised ziplines
Wraith
  • Tactical Upgrade - Reduced Tactical cooldown
  • Sixth Sense - Passive triggers when squads approach
  • Ultimate Upgrade - Reduced Ultimate cooldown
  • Quick Shift - Faster Tactical wind-up
Octane
  • Thick Skin - Take 25% less damage from Stim
  • Wreckless - Take 25% less damage from explosives
  • Aerial Agility - Change directions on double-jump
  • Mad Hops - One extra Ultimate charge
Revenant
  • Tactical Upgrade - Reduced Tactical cooldown
  • Murder Machine - After a squad wipe, callout nearby squads
  • Full Send - Tactical has 20% less charge time
  • Kill Thrill - Tactical refreshes with knockdowns
Horizon
  • Big Bang - See ordinance through walls & death boxes
  • Ammuvision - See ammo in Deathboxes
  • Tactical Upgrade - Reduced Tactical cooldown
  • Ultimate Upgrade - 14% reduction on Ultimate cooldown
Valkyrie
  • Extra Thrusters - Launch higher with Skyward Dive
  • Aerial Expert - Improved jetpack handling
  • Full Coverage - Missile Swarm widens to 3x5
  • Fuel Depot - 25% extra jetpack fuel
Bloodhound
  • Tactical Upgrade - Reduced Tactical cooldown
  • Hunting Ravens - White Ravens charge Ultimate
  • Taste of Blood - 25HP per knock while in Beast of the Hunt
  • Full Coverage - Double Tac full-body scan duration
Crypto
  • Recovery Protocol - Reduced Tactical cooldown
  • Ultimate Upgrade - Reduced Ultimate cooldown
  • Wider Network - +50% Passive and Ultimate range
  • Satellite Ping - Call out squads in area on Drone Deploy
Seer
  • Sense from Afar - +25m Passive and Tactical range
  • Mobile Senses - Faster movement using Passive
  • Eyes on Me - 1.5 seconds extra scan duration
  • Theatrical Projection - +20m Ultimate throw range
Vantage
  • Insider Knowlege - Gain access to Ring Consoles
  • Ultimate Efficiency - Increase Ultimate Acceleration charge
  • Echo Assist - Improved Tactical double jump
  • Sharpshooter - Refresh Tactical on hits with Ultimate
Gibraltar
  • Big Ups - Revive allies to 50HP
  • Killer Handling - Auto reload shotguns with knockdowns
  • Baby Bubble - Smaller bubble with a faster cooldown
  • Bubble Bunker - Extra 4 seconds for bubble lifetime
Lifeline
  • Quick Response - Extra 20% Revive speed
  • Tactical Upgrade - 10 seconds reduction on Tactical cooldown
  • Last Stand - Gain a self-revive
  • Allied Support - Next Ultimate is a Supply Drop
Mirage
  • Revive Master - Revives allies with HP regen
  • More of Me - Extra Ultimate decoy and 30-second cooldown reduction
  • Me Two - Extra Tactical charge
  • Bamboozle Bonus - Bamboozles refresh Tactical
Loba
  • Market Expansion - Black Market range increased
  • Shopping Spree - Loba can take an extra item from Black Markets
  • Tactical Upgrade - Reduced Tactical cooldown
  • High Value - Increase Tactical height and range
Newcastle
  • Resilient Support - Mobile Shield +250HP
  • Mobile Support - Increase Mobile Shield speed
  • Revive Master - Revives allies with HP Regen
  • Stronghold - Increase Castle Wall HP and energised duration
Conduit
  • Shield Inclined - See Battery count on death boxes
  • Access Denied - Increase Ultimate mine damage radius
  • Split Charge - Extra Tactical charge and -50% shield heal duration
  • Ranged Healer - +15% Tactical range
Caustic
  • Lightweight - Increase Tactical throw range
  • Diffuse - Increased gas area for Ultimate
  • Residual Toxins - Extend Nox Vision time
  • Breathe It In - Regen HP inside Nox Gas
Wattson
  • Amped Revive - Revive allies to 50 HP
  • Renewable Energy - Ultimate interceptions spawn Arc Stars
  • Power Pylon - Double Ultimate HP and capacity
  • Full Coverage - Double placement & Ultimate acceleration speed
Rampart
  • Ultimate Upgrade - 20% reduction on Ultimate cooldown
  • Bandolier - Carry extra ammo per stack
  • Running Hot - Improved Sheila's handling and spinup time
  • Amped Reloads - Faster Reloaded with Sheila and Amped Cover
Catalyst
  • Prolific Pericings - +1 max active Spikes
  • Ferro Throw - Increase Spike throw range
  • No Show - Increase Dark Veil lifetime
  • Long Form - Increase Dark Veil length

Season 20 may have no new Legend, but giving players the power to enhance their abilities throughout a match is going to mean far more gameplay variety. It adds an extra level of depth to your kit and forces you to make key decisions based on your current situation.

While all of the Legend Upgrades look brilliant, in my opinion, some standouts are Lifeline, Rampart, Bloodhound, Horizon, and of course Octane.

Now that you’re familiar with all the upgrades coming in Season 20, why not check out our Apex Legends pick rate tracker that measures the popularity of every character on the roster? You can also check out our explanation of the new crafting changes.

Alex Garton
About the author
Alex Garton
Alex is a Senior Writer at GGRecon. With a BA (Hons) in English, he has previously written for Dexerto & Gfinity. Specialising in Call of Duty & Apex Legends, he loves (attempting) to improve his aim in competitive shooters and will always make time for a single-player RPG.
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